Grayson Annual #3

Determined to find out the identity of Spyral's Agent 37, detective Jim Corrigan gathers a collection of heroes who have seen the swirl-faced spy in order to hear their accounts. With guest appearances by Harley Quinn, Azrael, John Constantine and Green Lantern Simon Baz, get ready for some of Dick Grayson's greatest hits!

This done-in-one story very much reminded me of "Almost Got 'Im," which many of you likely find to be one of the greatest episodes Batman: The Animated Series ever produced. Not only that, it has an interesting twist at the end and does a fine job of ending this chapter in Dick Grayson's long history. Read Full Review

With stories ranging from his selflessness in the face of innocents in danger to a story about sexy vampires that is sure to launch the ship to end all ships thanks to John Constantine's shamelessly hitting on Agent 37, Grayson Annual #3 is everything that made the title fun month-after-month, distilled into one fantastically entertaining annual. Read Full Review

I'd call this a very easy win for anyone interested in a done in one entertaining comic that doesn't require extensive knowledge of the characters. Grayson Annual #3 contains good character dynamics, dialogue, action, and a satisfying, well-earned conclusion. Read Full Review

This third annual is a wonderfully fun P.S. for the series that wasn't wasted and took some time to add a couple of delightful last notes to Grayson's spying days. The issue ends with Dick and his backup Helena leaping off of a roof to go find their next adventure. Wherever that next adventure may be, if Dick Grayson is involved it's going to be a good time. Regardless of whether they fit into the continuity or no,t stories like this are a welcome shakeup from time to time. Read Full Review

This book wasnt necessary, but it was fun. We get to relive some of the amazing adventures that Grayson and Bertinelli have gone through over the past three years. Its cathartic in a way. We left Dick and Helena in a rather heart wrenching break up scene when last we saw them. I much rather remember them diving off a Gotham building looking for adventure. Read Full Review

It's a shame that the Grayson era of comics has come to an end. I don't know what Dick is going to do as a renewed Nightwing, but for the past year or so, he was a true international man of mystery. He could swoon with the best of them, kick all manner of butt, and save the day four times over without breaking a sweat. This Annual is a stellar example of embracing and enjoying a popular, well-developed character. Read Full Review

Still, the greatest strength of Grayson Annual #3 is that it manages to showcase how flexible this portrayal of Dick Grayson is, showcasing the hero's charms, charisma and character one last time before he returns to his most famous identity. It's a fitting finale to one of DC's most daring shakeups to an iconic character and a much stronger finish than Lanzing and Kelly's first shot at ending the series. Read Full Review

An enjoyable romp, plain and simple. The stories were fun, if inconsequential, and it was nice seeing Agent 37 one last time. Frankly, the best I can say about this annual is that Grayson #20 was a good beginning for Nightwing, while this issue is a good ending for the book Grayson. We may not see the spy antics of Dick ever again, but there's certainly a sense of closure this time around. Read Full Review

There really is no reason at all for this Annual except a very ill timed fifth week in the first month of Rebirth. However, Collin Kelly,Jackson Lanzing and a handful of artists put their best feet forward and we get a ridiculous yet enjoyable clip show of a romp. Necessary? No. Fun? Yes. Sometimes, that's enough. Read Full Review

If not necessarily remarkable, this issue does serve as one final reminder of how vital this series was for the evolution of DC from the grim New 52 era to the more fun-loving Rebirth. Read Full Review

Annuals are difficult. They're expensive and often either intrusively mandatory or utterly unnecessary. Grayson Annual #3 aims to reclaim the later, offering something that readers of the series are under no obligation to purchase but hopefully provides enough fun to justify the $5 price tag and, to its credit, fun is exactly what it provides. Though it it remains supplementary, it's an excellent case of supplementary reading. The reader with a tight comics budget or limited interest in anthology style stories shouldn't feel bad about passing this one up, but fans looking for a solid Hellblazer adventure, more of Azrael's story, a thoughtful look at Harley Quinn, or one last hit of Grayson will find something to love here. Read Full Review

Totally fun annual-sized adventure. I hope to see more from Lanzing and Kelly as I think they are solid writers and the best to come out of Batman and Robin Eternal. It's nice to see them tackle something that's not a part of someone else's story. Nice art too and every part fit the story well. I'll miss Grayson.

Some funny banter at the start, but overall this issue didn't congeal for me. tThe mini-stories felt like cheap lipgloss tastes; yeah, the strawberry flavor is unequivocally strawberry-flavored, but that's not the same taste as real strawberries. They felt generic and not particularly adroit at revealing elements of Dick Grayson's character that weren't made overt in earlier issues.